Madeleine's Hightower
by BFangz
Summary: Patrick and Madeleine Hightower have a conversation in her office. It could happen....I thought it was a one shot, but it seems to beg for a little more...
1. Madeleine's Hightower

**A/N:Sometimes there are some things you'd just like to see. This is one of those times for me.  
Your thoughts??? Could happen like this, couldn't it?  
**

**Madeleine's Hightower**

Madeleine Hightower looked up from her desk as Patrick Jane knocked and then entered. His demeanor was serious, not his normal languid, knowing smile. "Hello, Mr. Jane. What can I do for you?"

Patrick entered and sat facing her, intently staring at her. The silence extended as he sat, motionless, considering her as if she was an interesting specimen. Finally, he said, "What can you do for me? That's an interesting question." He paused and continued staring at her. "It would seem that you are a bully. You've found that you can get your way and control people by intimidation. It's worked well for you. Most people just don't want the confrontation, and in today's world you've got a couple of things going for you that makes you very politically correct, and I doubt you can do much for me, to answer your original question."

Madeleine visibly controlled her reaction. "How dare you come in here and talk to me like that?"

Patrick held up his hand, interrupting her. "You have to ask a question like that? Didn't you do any of your home work, or are you completely unprepared for this job?"

Visibly taken aback, she took refuge in the techniques that worked so well for her. "You will never speak to me like that again, Mr. You work for me and you will show me the respect that I deserve! Forget that for one moment, and you're history, here. Now, get out of my office."

Patrick smiled and asked sweetly, "Is that so? I'm history. Let me see if I have this right. You are brought in to a very successful investigation team that has one of the highest clearance rates in the state, much of that due to my contribution. You give me a song and dance about how I'm the golden boy and that Lisbon is dispensable and threaten me with her termination. How am I doing so far?"

He held up his hand, again, interrupting her when she started to speak. "Don't bother. I know how I'm doing and let's get something straight: I do not work for you. In fact, I do not work for anyone. On good days, I collaborate with the CBI team and that collaboration earns me a handsome paycheck, which, by the way, I really don't need. I'm not working. I'm passing the time, having fun and serving my own ends. That's some of the homework you should have done." He smiled and waited.

Madeleine glared at him. Patrick grinned as she began to speak through clenched teeth. "Mr. Jane," she hissed, "You will leave this room and be a good little boy or I will break you like a rotten twig. You will never work in this town again. No, you will never work in law enforcement, anywhere, ever again. Now leave, and give me some time to contemplate how I'm going to make your life miserable for the next few weeks while you learn who is the boss around here." She glared, daring him to dispute her.

"My dear Madeleine," Patrick said, leaning back in the chair and putting his ankle on his knee, "I"m not sure you know the meaning of the word miserable. You are about to face one of the most career crushing blows an administrator can suffer. You are about to suffer the total dissolution of the team.

"Lisbon is the head of this team. She always has been and she always will be. She is the leader, and don't you ever forget that. We may butt heads, but I do know who the leader is. I, as you may have guessed, am the brains. Cho, Van Pelt and Rigsby are the workers that actually get things done. They are dedicated, intelligent and very, very effective. Without them very little would actually get closed.

"And you, my dear lady, are about to end all of that. If you think that any of us will allow you to come into our lives and threaten our friends and us, you need to think some more. I do my homework, or do you know that about me? I didn't walk into this room without knowing exactly where this meeting is going.

"If necessary, we can all walk. With them, I'll form a private investigation company that will shine like no other in this state. You, on the other hand, will find your name in the news, and before upper administrative levels that no longer have a CBI team to clear cases. You do know that I can get on national TV at any time I want to, don't you? Consider this and tell me where your career will be."

Jane stared at her. He hunched shoulders, the perspiration on her upper lip and her darting eyes indicated the impact his soliloquy had on her. He stood. "If you want, we can keep this little conversation between us; and you can be a good administrator and administrate, not try to rule. Administrators are necessary. YOU can be necessary. Or it can be the other way."

"It's your call." Jane stood and walked out.

oOOOo


	2. Hypothetical

**A/N: Ok, I thought it was a one shot, but it seems to beg for a little more... So, here it is.**

**Hypothetical**

Wayne and Grace quickly broke their hand holding when they saw Patrick enter the cafe. He grinned and waved at them. Both appeared flustered that he'd seen them hand holding in public, but at least it wasn't Lisbon or Hightower. They waved back and Jane headed their way, stopping to order tea, then he came, pushed Rigsby over and joined them smiling.

"It sure is a wonderful Sacramento day, isn't it?" He did not pause but kept right on talking, preventing any response. "But that's not why I spent all this time tracking your down and spying on you." He grinned and they stared at each other in confusion. Since they seemed unsure of what to say, he continued: "I'd like to bounce an idea off of you good kids and get your reaction to it. Now, you understand, this is purely hypothetical but I want you to seriously consider what you'd do in such a circumstance, OK?" This time he did stop and wait for a response.

Wayne spoke first. "If you are going to ask for some sort of favor because you caught us holding hands, that wouldn't be..."

Patrick stopped him. "No way, Wayne! I am not CBI, and as far as I'm concerned, what you and Grace do is fine by me. No, this is a little different. I honestly want your opinion on something." Wayne and Grace looked even more confused, so he continued. "Suppose you two got a job offer that was better than your CBI job, what would you do?"

Both Wayne and Grace shook their heads. "No way," Wayne responded. "We love law enforcement and we have seniority, good benefits and a good retirement plan. Government work may not pay as well as some commercial jobs, but there is security and we are serving the greater good." Wayne almost looked embarrassed for having said that, but his expression showed he was sticking by it.

Jane's tea arrived and he paused to take a sip. "I agree with Wayne. We like where we are and what we're doing," Grace added.

"Yes, I like where I am, too. Right now. But, let's just suppose. Suppose you were told one of you was going to be let go because of your relationship. What then?"

Both of them looked distressed. "If they fired Wayne, I'd quit," Grace replied with almost no hesitation.

"Yea, me too," Wayne said, but a little less certainly. "I don't do well with threats and retaliation." His face hardened, and briefly, exactly how hard and tough he could be surfaced.

Jane didn't miss that little display and realized he'd had a glimpse of the "true" Wayne Rigsby that few see. "So the job is not all important, then," he asked.

"Well, not _all_ important," they said together, glancing at each other.

"OK, let's consider. Neither of you have been fired, but you are offered a job in law enforcement, better salary, similar benefits, and guaranteed retirement, plus no one would question your relationship. What then?"

"What's the catch?" Wayne asked.

"No Madeleine Hightower," Jane chuckled.

"I'm in," They said together. Wayne added, "Where do I sign?"

Patrick laughed. "Purely hypothetical, remember? I did say that it's purely hypothetical."

Wayne and Grace stared at Patrick Jane like a specimen. "I'd hate to be a perp those two were focusing on," he briefly thought.

"What are you up to, Jane? You're in the middle of one of your scams or schemes, aren't you? Is this some sort of test you've devised to test our loyalty to CBI?"

Patrick laughed out loud. "I'm the last one that would be checking CBI loyalty. I have NONE and could care less as long as it serves by ends. No, let's just say that I'm checking options. A wise man always has a plan "B", you know. Sometimes, plan "C" isn't a bad idea, either." He smiled, thanked them for their time and left, leaving payment and a tip for his tea.

Wayne and Grace looked at the bill Patrick had left for the tip. "Bet the waitress loves him," Grace said.

Later than same day, Jane managed to isolate Cho and had a similar conversation with him. Much to his surprise, Cho was a much more difficult "sell" than Wayne and Grace. In retrospect, he realized that CBI's not dating policy had already predisposed them to be amenable to anther position, while as Cho stated, he was very loyal to the bureau and to Lisbon, personally.

"So, a position with salary, benefits, and more independence wouldn't temp you?"

Cho shook his head. "I like CBI, I like who I work with and I like Lisbon as our boss. Jane, I even like working with you!" Cho smiled as he said that, a rare event indeed!

Jane shook his head and stared at the ceiling. "Cho, you are not getting what I'm suggesting. Suppose Lisbon got fired. What would you do?"

Cho stared at Jane, his face expressionless, but Jane knew there was a lot gong on inside of his head. The past couple of days had been very tense with Hightower on the rampage, though she had backed off some after their little heart to heart.

"Suppose Hightower caused Grace and Wayne to quit," Jane continued. Cho blinked rapidly, twice, indicating how stressed he was. "If Lisbon, Wayne and Grace were gone, I'd probably quit too. If all that happened, and this hypothetical job was offered, what would you do? Would you take it?" Jane cocked his head, waiting for a response.

Cho took a deep breath. "If all these hypothetical things happened and if I was offered this hypothetical job, hypothetically, I might take it." He nodded. "Hypothetically."

"One more thing, Cho. Suppose, in this new job, Lisbon, myself, Wayne and Grace were there, would you do it?" Patrick almost held his breath.

Cho blinked and nodded. "Yes."

They stared at each other for a few moments, the silence stretching. Patrick sighed. "Thank you, Cho, for your overwhelming enthusiasm and acceptance. I'll consider that a ringing endorsement of the concept. Again, thank you."

Unblinking, this time, Cho replied, "You're welcome."

The CBI office was silent. The light was on in Lisbon's office, She was working late as usual. Patrick stood and walked to her office door. He briefly hesitated and then knocked firmly. _This is going to be interesting. And I thought Cho was tough...._

"Come," Lisbon called, indicating that Jane could enter.

oOOOo

**A/N: Not as much fun as the last one, but he is a schemer. Can we use more of this type? Too far and it gets totally AU.**


	3. Into the Lisbon's Den

**Into the Lisbon's Den**

Jane took a deep breath and walked into Lisbon's dim office. The only light on was the desk lamp on her desk. She seemed to enjoy the peace of the almost empty early evening office and calming effect of the dim lighting. She shuffled some papers and put them in a folder. Looking up she nodded to Jane, acknowledging his existence. "You're here late tonight," she said smiling. "Need to catch up on your napping?"

Jane grinned and shrugged. "It is a lot nicer, here, this time of night. It's hard to get a good nap with Hightower stomping around and interrupting prime nap time."

Lisbon's mouth quirked into an almost smile. "Sort of like you're doing to me, now?"

Jane raised both hands, palms up and shrugged. "Here I come, offering you the pleasure of my company, and see what thanks I get?"

Now, Lisbon did smile. "I didn't shoot you, did I? Even in the office, I'm armed."

"Yes, I know you are and that's why I so carefully knock. I've seen your scores from the range." He pinched some skin on his neck, pulling it out. "I've gotten quite used to this skin with no holes in it. I really do want to keep it that way, thank you." He smiled the famous Jane smile. "But I come not to bother you but to have a serious conversation about serious things that may effect the outcome of world peace and economy for years to come."

"A little full of yourself, aren't you?" Lisbon asked. "No, no. Never mind. You don't have to answer that one. I know the answer."

"Ah," he responded, "but I will reply because you don't know the answer, tonight! Tonight, it's not just about me, it's about you, too." He sat down, scooted the chair forward, and put his elbows on the table, facing Lisbon so he could clearly see her face in the dim light. The smile was gone and his face was serious.

One thing that working with Jane had taught Lisbon was that a person's demeanor gave many clues to their thought process, more than they ever knew. Jane's body language was screaming: I'm serious, I'm nervous, I want to be taken seriously. Theresa took a deeper breath. Was he projecting what he wanted her to believe or was he really serious. Jane could be serious, deadly serious at times, but it was hard to tell exactly what his mood was. He was very good at projecting exactly what he wanted you to believe. She nodded, an unconscious response to her decision to _treat_ his as serious and to see where that would lead. "It's about me? And how do I enter into this, tonight?"

Jane paused, carefully studying her. "He's doing his spooky little reading trick on me, now," she thought. "I'd love to know what goes on in his head when he does that."

He was actually engaging in self-dialog, preparing himself for an approach that would keep her from totally disregarding what he had to say. _It looks like she's willing to take me seriously. Of course, I'm never really sure about her. I can't even figure out what musical instrument she played, and that should be easy. She has NO idea how she confused me, or at least I hope she doesn't. Oh well, her goes nothing._

Then he spoke. "I just want you to know that my time, here with CBI, considering all of the circumstances, has been one of the more rewarding and satisfying times of my life." He deliberately made eye contact. "And you have been a major part of that."

Lisbon's eyes widened. _Oh, god, please, he's not going to express his eternal devotion to me. I don't think I could handle that. Not, now, of all times._

Jane smiled, noticing the cue and correctly interpreting it. "I'll admit that we'll probably never make any couples list, but professionally, in CBI and investigations, we do complement each other rather well, don't you think?" He cocked his head waiting for a response.

Some time passed. "Oh, that was a question!" She hesitated. "I think that is so obvious that I didn't realize it was an actual question. But, yes, we do seem to get the job done and that is rewarding." She smiled. "And as long as I can keep from shooting you, we'll keep on doing that." She smiled a full smile. "It is rewarding and it is fun."

Jane totally sobered. "We'll keep on doing that _as long as_ Hightower doesn't do something stupid and compromise or break up the team."

Much to his surprise, Lisbon nodded. "I've been worried about that. She's told me that _she's_ going to 'handle' the Van Pelt / Rigsby problem. If either, or god forbid, both of them left CBI, we would be critically damaged."

Jane nodded. "Agreed." He inhaled and noisily exhaled, "What about you?"

Lisbon wrinkled her nose. "Me?" She sat back. "Me? Yes, realistically there could be a problem there, but honestly, I think I have the political connections to keep her from hurting my career."

"OK," Jane said, "but what about CBI? Some idiot thought she'd be a good choice as our new 'leader'."

"I'm not sure I have all the answers, right now, Jane. I'm a career investigator and I've survived a lot, but since you're here and we're discussing this, I'm guessing you have something to offer."

"I do have some thoughts on the subject, and I'd like for you to listen with an open mind and not reject anything out of hand. Any point you find objectionable, give me the chance to address it, OK?"

Lisbon nodded and smiled. "Agreed, and for the record, I'll bet this is the wildest thing I've heard all year."

"I won't disagree with you there! So, here it is in a nutshell and when you try to shoot it down, I'll explain why you're wrong."

Lisbon laughed. "That's mighty big of you. I know, I'll get it all wrong and I'll be waiting for your pearls of enlightenment." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Promises, promises," he said. "Now, do remember, this is a worse case scenario, not something we jump into. Here is it: We, the team resign and start our own investigation company. We would handle our own very confidential investigations and sub-contract to the state for those difficult cases they so hate to admit that exist." He stopped speaking and leaned back in the chair.

"You're crazy. The others wouldn't do it," was Lisbon's first comment.

Jane shook his head. "Actually, they would. Already Wayne and Grace may be considering other options, and I'll promise you, one of those options is what I just told you about."

Lisbon looked surprised. "Cho?"

Jane grinned. "Cho would do it if you were the team leader."

Lisbon looked completely surprised. "You're kidding!

"Scout's honor," he said, holding up three fingers. "And you know I'd do it. I"m suggesting it."

"What about our benefits and retirement? All of us have a lot of time invested with the state."

"That would be handled by a guaranteed annuity that would equal or exceed the state offerings, and medical would be covered the same way. Starting salaries would equal your current salaries." Jane looked satisfied with his responses.

Lisbon nodded. "You make it sound good, but assuming you can do all this, I don't think I could actually have you as a boss, no offense intended." Lisbon looked distinctly unhappy.

Jane smiled. "I knew you'd say that, and honestly, I agree with you. Here's how we handle that: You are the majority stockholder, equal shares for the rest of us." Lisbon slightly opened her mouth and looked dumbfounded. "That's just a quick overview, and it may never come to that, but I do want you to consider the possibility." The Jane grin reappeared.

Lisbon blinked and blurted out, "Just how much money DO you have?" She looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to say that. Forget it. It never happened, OK?"

Jane grinned. "I'm not poor, but do think about what I said. I can make it happen if needed. Now you have a good night." He stood and walked out of the office before Lisbon could respond in any manner.

oOOOo

**A/N: That's it for this one. IF it continues, it'll be a new story. I AM anxiously awaiting the next episode!**

**BFangz**


End file.
